Scientists Develop Hedge Hyssop Extract for Advanced Cancer Treatment

Scientists from Razumovsky University - or, to give it its full name Saratov State Medical University Named After VI Razumovsky (SSMU) - have developed an innovative anti-tumor herbal medicinal product based on the gratiola officinalis, a plant commonly known as medicinal hedge hyssop.

Fundamental research has been continuing for more than a decade, and according to the researchers, it has yielded compelling results. Based on these findings, the university has received approval from the Russian Ministry of Health to conduct Phase I clinical trials.

Medicinal Hedge Hyssop (gratiola officinalis) is a wild, perennial herb widely distributed in various regions of Russia. Although it possesses toxic properties, it has been used in traditional medicine in the form of infusions, known as the "Zdrenko mixture".

Alexander Fedonnikov, SSMU's Vice-Rector for Science and Innovations, told Sputnik that this new hedge hyssop-based drug has no direct analogue in global pharmacopeia. He clarified that existing drugs on the market, known as cytostatic drugs, cause massive destruction of tumor cells, often accompanied by severe toxicity to the body.

However, SSMU scientists claim that their innovative herbal treatment, based on hedge hyssop, activates apoptosis - programmed cell death that occurs under normal conditions in the body's functioning.

"According to the results of pre-clinical studies, this drug produces significantly fewer side effects and is better tolerated by the body," Fedonnikov emphasized.

He also said that the developed extract is a candidate for the position of the world's first-class plant-based anti-tumor medication. According to his assessment, industrial production and clinical application of this drug could become a cutting-edge import substitution technology in cancer treatment.

The process of hedge hyssop extraction was developed by scientists from the Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Uronephrology of the Department of Pathological Anatomy, and the Faculty of Pharmacy.

"A complex recipe was selected: the herb was mixed with alcohol, dissolved in water, chloroform, and so on. By comparing different extract fractions, we selected the most active one. This is how we obtained a phytopreparation from components with the highest biological activity," explained Professor Natalia Polukonova.

She noted that during pre-clinical research, safety data for the drug were obtained for various types of laboratory animals, and the potential efficacy of the phytopreparation was proved.

"Our experiments on laboratory animals showed that one month of taking the obtained extract reduces the tumor's growth rate by 70 percent. These are very promising numbers. A drug is considered potentially effective if it slows tumor development by at least 30 percent," she added.

The university reported that the research was conducted on 10 different cancer cell lines, including kidney cancer, bladder cancer, sarcoma, liver cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Based on the results, the university obtained approval from the Russian Ministry of Health to conduct a Phase I clinical trial. It is expected that cancer patients in the late stages of the disease will participate in this trial.

"These individuals will receive comprehensive treatment, and the developed drug is planned to be prescribed as an addition to it," SSMU explained, pointing out that in this regard, scientists are guided by global ethical practices. New anti-tumor drugs are typically first applied to patients in the advanced stages of the disease. The clinical trials will be conducted at the Mirotvortsev University Clinical Hospital No 1.

According to Saratov scientists, the availability of an extensive raw material base for collecting wild medicinal hedge hyssop, combined with the already established production technology, ensures 100 percent localization of the entire production cycle in Russia, from plant collection to the finished medicinal form.

"Medicinal plants are not just promising; they have long been a part of our medical aid kits, and they work. The successful completion of this clinical trial will allow us to proceed to further phases of research to evaluate its effectiveness and, after a series of clinical trials, complete the process of state registration," the university's deputy director noted. He added that with this development, the university has become a part of the Russian Ministry of Health's federal project "Medical Science for Humanity".